


A Proposal and A Promise

by NotSoHotsuin



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, M/M, No Spoilers, hurt comfort, they hug and everything is fine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: The pressure of working for JP’s was finally taking its toll on their small group; some more than others. During an eventful night, Daichi seeks comfort in the arms of his best friend.





	A Proposal and A Promise

There was a knock at his door.

 

“Hey, you still up?” A familiar voice whispered. Hibiki walked over to open the door. It was no surprise to find Daichi waiting on the other side. He invited him in, it was the least he could do after what had happened today. JP’s might have lent them a place to stay for the night, but they were unsure of where things would go from hereon out. Daichi was still in his usual attire, scarf and jacket dusted with filth accompanied by a few bruises on his fists and cheeks. Hibiki was in no better condition, but Daichi seemed to have taken the news much rougher than the others.

“I… I didn’t really plan on visiting. I just couldn’t sleep. Walked down the hallway, found your room... Thought i’d stop by.” It didn’t sound completely true, but Hibiki didn’t want to press the issue. “-Today’s been kind of wild. Demons and all that…” His voice sounded a little lost, as if he was waiting for Hibiki to pitch in and add something to the conversation. Hibiki closed the door and approached Daichi, hand gently resting on his shoulder.  
  
“I just wanted to check up on you. See how you’re doing.”  
“I’m good.” That brought a smile to Daichi’s face.  
“Oh yeah, I’m good too, hasn’t the weather been nice toda- what the hell is the matter with you!?” It hurt to swat Hibiki’s hand away, but what else could he do when his friend was acting so indifferent about this? “How can you reply so calmly when we almost got killed today!?” Hibiki placed both hands on Daichi’s shoulders and tried to hold him still.  
“Everything will be fine, just calm down,” Hearing that hurt. It hurt because Daichi knew it was a lie. It had to be. There was no way they could measure up against something this messed up. His frustration and stress could be heard with every word, each a little bit more intense than the other.

“Calm down?! You gotta be joking! Do you have any idea how unrealistic your reaction is!? Am I the only person here who just wants to call the cops and stay out of this mess!?” The lack of a reply made Daichi give his sentence more thought. Of course the police couldn’t do anything, they didn’t have demons. They were defenseless. At least JP’s had their demon summoning app. They had more of a fair chance to ward off this strange calamity than anyone else. Realizing that really helped. The quick shallow breaths he had been taking were slowly starting to diminish, and the panic in his voice slowly faded. Hibiki squeezed his shoulders slightly, hoping to wake him up from his daydreaming. Daichi shook his head.  
  
“Sorry…” He looked off to the side, hoping the sincerity in his voice was not clouded by his uncertainty. “I’m just a little on edge. You understand, right? I mean, it’s not everyday we get to survive something out of a horror story.” Hibiki nodded, but Daichi was too caught up talking to notice.

“I don’t want to see anymore people get killed. I don’t want to hear another word about our ridiculous _apocalyptic future_ -” The last few words were said in a mocking tone, but the underlying fear in Daichi’s voice made his attempt at a joke fall flat. There was also a truth to it that could not be ignored or mocked, at least not this soon.  
“-okay? I just want this to end. Also, I’d like to not die. That would be kinda nice.” Hibiki moved hand to the back of Daichi’s neck and pulled him in for a hug. It was almost laughable how quickly Daichi could forgive everything up to this point if it ended with a hug. If all the hardships they’d face ended with Hibiki hugging him like this, all could be forgiven. He took a deep breath, and rested his forehead in the crook of Hibiki’s neck.

  
“Promise me you’ll stick by till the very end, for better or worse.” Hibiki let his hand slide down to rub circles over Daichi’s back.  
“That sounds like a marriage proposal.” Daichi punched his arm slightly. It was weak, but it was enough to make Hibiki smile.

“Come on, I’m serious! Just promise you won’t leave when things get tough. Don’t do something stupid and die out there.”  
“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”  
“This isn’t something like helping me hide my bad grades or letting me copy your answers for an upcoming exam- this is much more serious.” Hibiki leaned his head against Daichi’s and spoke softly.  
“I’m not planning on getting killed, Daichi.” That was all he wanted to hear.

  
“Thanks…” He relaxed his muscles and let his arms rest around Hibiki for a moment, shutting out the reality of their crumbling world and focusing only on the good aspects of what was left. “-I think we can get through this. It’s not any different from when we played pretend as kids, right? E-except this is real. Very real. Very not pretend.” When Daichi’s anxiety over the situation started to build up again, Hibiki tightened his grip and tried to keep Daichi’s mind distracted. He did not need to say anything. All he had to do was squeeze his upper-arm gently to remind him he was still standing here, unharmed and secure. Daichi breathed out slowly and nuzzled closer.  
“...This feels stupidly nostalgic. You have to calm me down… again. How often have we been here? Aren’t you getting sick of it yet?” Hibiki shook his head.  
“I don’t want you to worry,”  
“You know, if you keep holding onto me like this, some of your confidence might rub off on me.”  
“I don’t think it works like that.”  
“Dude, you could have played along.” He truly wanted to laugh, but doing so right now was far too difficult. “-Still, I’m really happy you’re my friend. I’m pretty sure any of my other friends would have ditched me the moment I became a burden,”  
“You’re getting a little too dark,”  
“No, I… I’m not mad or anything. I’d rather have one friend to rely on than four who might or might not stab me in the back.” He took notice to the way Hibiki’s hand moved across his back, and allowed himself to pause and enjoy the feeling for a moment.

“-I don’t want to lose my best friend to this… whatever this is. Demons, monsters, JP’s, whatever.”  
“I’m not going to leave, Daichi.”

“I know,” His reply was given in a more light tone, almost as if even implying Hibiki would abandon them was a stupid thing to say. The words he spoke meant more than he could emphasize. He knew Hibiki was not going to leave him behind. Of course not. He had plenty of opportunities to shy away during their childhood, but he never once did.

Hibiki’s comforting followed a familiar pattern. Daichi could close his eyes and travel back to a simpler time when he felt Hibiki wrap his arms around him. All Hibiki’s hugs had that same specific touch to them. He’d always wrap one arm around him, squeeze his shoulder gently to soothe him, before letting both arms rest around his waist. It was a small gesture, but this small gesture brought him comfort when nothing else could. When he noticed he might have held onto Hibiki a little too long to be normal, he put some distance between them, but kept his arms around Hibiki’s waist.  
  
“Phew~ That was exhausting. As long as you’re here, I think I’ll be fine.”  
“That still sounds like a marriage proposal.” That helped Daichi release Hibiki from his grip completely.

“You know what, if we make it out of this alive then sure, I’ll marry you.”  
“Are you sure? It’s rude to break a promise.” He couldn’t tell if he was laughing because he was nervous or because he was humored by Hibiki’s joke. He folded his arms across his chest and gripped at the edge of his scarf slightly to keep his mind occupied with other thoughts. Thoughts that steered him away from thinking about Hibiki and the word ‘marriage’ in the same sentence.  
  
“Geez, I didn’t think it meant so much to you. Why not just host the wedding here in this scrawny bedroom if you’re that impatient?” When Hibiki looked puzzled, Daichi realized he might have been the one to take a joke a little too seriously. However, the awkward misunderstanding was quickly overshadowed by a more positive energy.

“You cheered me up though. Thanks man, I really needed some stress relief.” The smile on his face was genuine, and Hibiki could tell this talk had really helped smooth some things over. Although, when Hibiki remained silent, Daichi took a step back and cleared his throat.  
“Oh, right. I should probably let you sleep. Right. See you in the morning-” A part of him felt lighter when Hibiki took a hold of his wrist and stopped him from heading over to the door. Thank God the conversation wasn’t going to end on that note.

“Daichi-”  
“Yeah?”  
“Nobody’s going to die.”  
“...Not from lack of trying though.” This time, Hibiki could tell Daichi felt more relaxed, and that this was supposed to be a joke. His tone was softer and he was teasing him in that ever-so familiar way that was typical of Daichi. All Hibiki wanted right now was to make Daichi feel secure so he could have a good night’s rest.

“I’ll protect you.” The words hit close to home. Hibiki cupped his hand over his lips and leaned in closer to whisper something to Daichi as if it were a secret.

“-That’s code for ‘you can stay with me tonight if you’d like’,” Daichi quickly wrapped his arms around him and refused to let go. He wanted to cry, but there was no energy to spare. Io was injured, Hibiki was injured, and he felt like his limbs were going to fall apart right in Hibiki’s arms. There was a chance demons could attack them at JP’s, and if that ever happened, Daichi would curse the fact he was not there to help his friends when they needed him the most. He tried to hold himself together, but it was difficult to stop shaking. They came so close to saying goodbye, when it could have easily been their last night together.

“Were you actually going to let me walk out that door?” Daichi’s words felt so small, so hushed in comparison to everything else that had been said. The crack in his voice was thankfully muffled by the fabric of Hibiki’s shirt. Hibiki let his fingers comb through Daichi’s hair before he placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Never.” It was so comforting to hear that. The word made Daichi chuckled halfheartedly through his fear. He could not say he was fully convinced they would be completely alright, but as long as Hibiki held onto him like this he was sure they would manage somehow.

“I-is this a bad time to ask for a favor?”

“What is it?” Daichi put some distance between them and relaxed his grip. While contemplating exactly how to express himself, he bit his lower lip. It was a nervous tick that Hibiki wished he could tell him to stop. He had perfectly good lips, it felt tragic to see him bite into them hard enough to draw blood.

“Do that again, but…” Daichi’s hand came up to rest on Hibiki’s chest. It was hard to tell if he wanted to pull him closer, or keep him at a distance. “-slower.” The request might have seemed outlandish, but Hibiki did as he said and placed another kiss on his forehead. He let his lips linger before pulling away to see the aftermath of his work. As expected, Daichi’s cheeks were dusted pink, and his eyes were averted.  
“Daichi?” When there was no reply, he pressed his lips against his cheek instead. There was a low murmur at the back of Daichi’s throat that escaped when he exhaled to calm down.

  
When Hibiki trailed kisses down his neck, Daichi gripped his friend’s shirt tighter and closed his eyes. He could ask why Hibiki was kissing him, but he didn’t need to know. He didn’t care. He was not going to tell him to stop anyways so why did it matter? If he could capture this moment and reside in it until this strange otherworldly calamity was over, he would do so in a heartbeat.  
  
Unfortunately, that was not the reality that they lived in, and sooner or later they would have to help JP’s with their investigation of the septentriones. Not now though. Now was definitely not the time. Even though he was worried for their future, Hibiki made enough of a difference in his life to help him let those thoughts go.  
  
At least for tonight.


End file.
